The latest gameplay demo for Gotham Knights revealed several abilities for Nightwing that players can use to take Gotham City back from the Court of Owls. The demo also included new powers for Red Hood, another popular choice in the game's playable characters. With the project scheduled for an October release, WB Games Montréal will likely release more information soon. The studio previously worked on Batman: Arkham Origins, and could implement similar abilities to the playable characters.
Gotham Knights does not share Batman: Arkham's continuity, with different versions of heroes and villains set to appear. The game takes place after Batman's death under mysterious circumstances, with Gotham City thrown into chaos by several villainous factions. Nightwing, Red Hood, Batgirl, and Robin band together to defend the Dark Knight's legacy, facing a bold new threat in dangerous times. Players can explore an evolving open world that advances with the story and face reimagined threats in Gotham's darkest era. The Court of Owls may be the city's biggest threat post-Batman, who threatens to control legitimate businesses and the criminal underworld. However, the Knights are likely to face many more threats throughout the campaign and beyond.
It's unlikely the latest Gotham Knights gameplay demo revealed many of Nightwing's abilities. Batman: Arkham featured unique attacks and technology that players unlocked as they leveled Batman up and entered new territories. Given the customization options shown in the Belfry, players can likely expect their Knight to change and improve throughout the campaign. Thankfully, the demo unveiled a solid baseline of attacks and gadgets that appear to be a core mechanic in Gotham Knights' gameplay and exploration. New information is likely to release in the coming months, especially considering the October release date, but the latest gameplay demo provided players with a more complete view of the final product.
Gotham Knights' Nightwing Uses A Flying Trapeze For Travel
Unlike Gotham Knights' Batgirl who shares Batman's aesthetic and style, Nightwing lacks a cape, batarangs, and other notable weapons used by the Dark Knight. To ensure players can still traverse Gotham City, Nightwing comes equipped with a gadget called the Flying Trapeze. Likely constructed from the impressive technological arsenal owned by the Knights, this mechanical hand glider acts as an equivalent to Batman's cape glide. Nightwing can be seen leaping from a rooftop and summoning the Flying Trapeze to glide to another building and confront villains. It's unknown what key bindings exist for the Flying Trapeze, nor whether players can execute attack combos or unique abilities with the contraption.
Gotham Knights' open world appears much larger in the gameplay demo than in previous Batman-centric titles. The city is broken down into different areas, such as Old Gotham, which houses more traditional or historic buildings. In the demo, Nightwing charts a course to the Powers Club, which could be a hint at Joseph Powers, a member of the Court of Owls in the comics. Since traversing the entire city would quickly become boring, Nightwing (and likely other characters) are equipped with the Fast Bat to travel to distant locations in Gotham City. It's unknown which locations players can fast travel to, or whether the Fast Bat can travel to any waypoint on the map. Thankfully, the Fast Bat is likely to cut down on traveling time for players eager to complete the campaign.
Gotham Knights Brings Silent Takedowns Back
Gotham Knights is reviving a Batman: Arkham mechanic called Silent Takedowns, which could implement a familiar stealth gameplay style. Similar to Batman: Arkham's DLC characters, Nightwing has a unique animation and stealth style with his available weapons and specializations. It's unknown how many unique takedowns players can obtain, but players eager to fight from the shadows have the opportunity to do so. This power, combined with other abilities Nightwing shows in battle, such as the Elemental Shockwave, ensures the leader of Gotham's new vigilante squad can debilitate enemies quickly and quietly. However, Gotham Knights also introduces new mechanics to keep stealth combat fresh.
Unlike Batman: Arkham's stealth and combat mechanics, Gotham Knights considers character volume, which can alert enemies in the area to the player's presence. Ambush Takedowns are a new mechanic that players can utilize to defeat enemies quickly but make more noise. Nightwing uses a combination of his escrima sticks and acrobatics to eliminate his enemies with ambushes. Batman: Arkham DLCs contained unique animations and abilities, but it's unknown whether Nightwing features any unique powers activated with Ambush Takedowns. However, the existence of this mechanic suggests WB Montreal is shifting towards more dynamic playstyles, allowing different players to clear levels in their own ways.
Gotham Knights Combines Detective Work And Vigilantism
Batman: Arkham featured Detective Vision, which allowed players to examine different clues and mechanisms that hide secrets or evidence throughout different scenes. Nightwing and Red Hood activate versions of this to scan their surroundings and progress through different levels. Additionally, Nightwing uses Wrist Darts that likely replace Batarangs, offering the close-quarters acrobat a ranged attack for brutal battles. The Batfamily uses their detective abilities to unlock a secret ageway in the Powers Club that serves as a hideout for the Court of Owls in the available gameplay. Nightwing also utilizes his weapons and acrobatics against a Talon Gladiator, staggering the opponent with elemental reactions and powerful counters.
While it's likely Gotham Knights' Nightwing can do much more than the gameplay demo revealed, WB Games Montréal may keep some features hidden for launch or a potential public demo. Since the same studio is developing Gotham Knights as Batman: Arkham Origins, fans can likely expect a similar playstyle and collection of abilities in the coming co-op title. While Gotham Knights' Nightwing is much different than Batman: Arkham's, it appears the core aspects of the vigilante's character have remained intact. Judging from the game's official Discord channel, most players are inclined to choose Nightwing or Red Hood, which makes the latest gameplay demo a vital display of how the game has advanced. Similar gameplay demos for Batgirl and Robin are likely to follow, which should hopefully provide a closer look at how their combat and traversal mechanics differ compared to Batman's first two Robins.
